


Jekyll and Hyde

by WingsOfWax



Series: One or the Other [4]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Aaron is bad at feelings, Angst, Drake is mentioned in passing, M/M, Mild Gore, Referenced past child abuse, Self-Harm, canon warnings apply
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 07:26:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9374312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WingsOfWax/pseuds/WingsOfWax
Summary: In which Aaron is mistaken for Andrew, there's an attempted kidnapping, someone gets shot, the bad guys die, the twins get some of their issues cleared up, and there's a happy ending - sort of.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this in a mad dash. I couldn't think of what else to tag, so I might have missed something - fair warning. If I did, let me know and I'll fix it.
> 
> Have fun with 11k+ words of me being ridiculous and dramatic as fuck.
> 
> This is also barely edited.
> 
>  
> 
> [Check out this AMAZING ART](https://wingsofwaxx.tumblr.com/post/157296588263/this-amazing-piece-was-done-by-the-wonderful-and)
> 
> [More AMAZING ART!!!](https://wingsofwaxx.tumblr.com/post/158281085648/lio-zehel-aaand-heres-another-commission-for)

 

His first mistake, he supposed later, was that he went out for a run with Matt. Kevin had been bitching at all of them for not being fast enough - as if he expected them all to be as quick as fucking Josten or some shit. So he and Matt agreed to start going for runs in the morning before practice. Which was fine, really. Aaron didn’t sleep well enough to be considered a morning person, but at least getting up early meant less time for nightmares.

The second mistake was not noticing the van. A fucking van. He cursed his own stupidity. How the actual fuck had he been so blind as to not see the literal - no, really - black pedo van driving slowly behind them. He chalked it up to listening to music at near-deafening volumes so he didn’t have to talk so early in the morning. That, and it was still dark because he and Matt had to get up at four thirty to finish their run and still make it to the gym for practice at six.

Matt had put up one hell of a fight once he realized what was going on. Aaron was just a little bit impressed. One of the men now had a broken nose, likely a broken jaw, and from the way he was clutching at his side, some bruised or broken ribs. Another man was in a similar state. But - there had been six men against just the two of them, and while Aaron managed to do some of his own damage to a couple of the men, it wasn’t enough.

So now they were tossed next to each other in the back of the van, sitting on the cold metal floor with their hands cuffed behind their backs and their ankles zip-tied together. Aaron was giving them all the nastiest look he could manage, but none of them were even paying him any attention. That just pissed him off even more.

Matt nudged his arm with his elbow and Aaron turned the glare on him instead. Matt could say a lot with his expressions, and with the way his eyebrows were drawn low and how he kept looking down at his leg, Aaron understood. He could see the outline of Matt’s phone in his pocket. It’d be a bit tricky, but Aaron thought he could manage, if he could shift enough to get his hands over to Matt’s pocket. He’d done enough texting under his desk back in high school to manage to dial a number without looking at the phone.

However, as he started to try and inch around, one of the men pulled out a gun and leveled it at his forehead. It made him freeze. “Stop moving,” the man snapped. He had an accent that Aaron couldn’t immediately place, watered down as it was. He turned his attention away from Aaron, but left the gun in exactly the right position. “Where the fuck is Wesninski, then? Shouldn’t he be with them?”

Another man answered, “This isn’t his usual route. I told you that. He runs on the opposite side of the campus.”

Aaron went cold. Matt shivered behind him. “What do you want with Neil?” Matt asked, and Aaron hoped he was the only one who noticed the tremor in his voice.

“Ah, that’s his name now, isn’t it?” another of the men asked with a sneer. “Whatever he calls himself, he’s still The Butcher’s son, and we’re owed.”

“Shut the fuck up,” one of the injured men said, throwing out a nasty punch at the man’s shoulder. “They don’t need to know, you stupid motherfucker.”

Silence descended on the van. The man with the gun lowered it finally and Aaron slumped over. He shoved his hands back, fingers grasping along the seam of Matt’s shorts. He found his pocket and tugged the phone out before any of the men noticed and backed up to the doors. He couldn’t see where they were headed, but he knew where they’d been grabbed and he was pretty sure they were going around one of the roundabouts that would get them to the other side of campus.

He tapped his fingers over the phone and dialed Andrew’s number, then found the volume button and turned it down as low as it would go so the men wouldn’t hear the ringing over the sound of the engine. He could barely hear it himself. When he heard a soft, sharp, “What?”, he breathed a small sigh of relief.

“What the fuck do you want with us?” he shouted at the men, grabbing their attention - and hopefully Andrew’s. “You said The Butcher, but that fuckface is dead, so what’s Josten got to do with any of this?”

One of the men stood and stomped the one step closer it took to reach Aaron. He punched Aaron hard enough to knock him into Matt. His fingers clutched around the phone hard enough to make it creak, but he didn’t dare risk dropping it.

“Aaron -” Matt choked out. “Shit!” His head snapped up toward the men. “Fuck you, asshole!”

“Wait, did he say ‘Aaron’?” one of the injured men asked.

He could feel blood dripping down over his chin as he shoved himself upright, his shoulder digging into Matt’s side. Aaron spat a wad of blood at the man’s chest. “You’ve got the wrong fucking Minyard, asswipe.” That earned him another swift punch - to his temple this time - and the man’s ring caught his skin, breaking it open. He bit down hard on the inside of his cheek to stop from making a sound.

“Stop punching him!” Matt shouted, his voice a little higher than it normally was. Aaron wasn’t quite able to shove himself upright this time, so he was left sprawled over Matt’s chest. He didn’t have the brain space to be embarrassed.

“Quiet!” The man with the gun had it trained on them once more. His words came out low but with force. “I will fucking shoot whichever of you so much as breathes too loud.” He looked at the man who was still standing. “Sit the fuck down. Now.”

The man sat on the bench seat along the side of the van beside his injured partners. The silence was tense and Aaron kept trying to blink away the blurriness in his vision, but it wouldn’t quite leave. He didn’t want to think, but thoughts kept circulating in his mind anyway. He’d told them they had the wrong twin. They were expecting Andrew. What would they do with him now? Would they kill him, since he wasn’t who they wanted? He thought about Katelyn for a moment and closed his eyes.

When he reopened them, he could see a little better. He struggled to get himself upright this time, but managed after a few helpful shoves from Matt. The van rolled to a stop. His eyes went wide. If Josten was thrown in here with them, Andrew would probably kill them all. He cursed his luck and eyed the gun in the man’s hand, wondering if the man was stupid enough to actually try to shoot one of them where the bullet could ricochet.

A small, painted over window in the wall that separated the cab from the back of the van opened. “I can see Josten, but there’s a black car by him now.” Aaron breathed a small sigh of relief. Maybe they _all_ didn’t have to die.

He wasn’t sure if he honestly expected Andrew to help him and Matt out of this situation. He’d rebuffed every attempt at Andrew “protecting” him since… Well. He didn’t know if Andrew cared enough to try. They didn’t have a deal anymore and he certainly hadn’t been grateful to Andrew for everything he’d done for him already. The sessions with Bee were helping him realize that, but he hadn’t worked up to actually saying anything to Andrew about it yet.

Maybe Neil would say something to Andrew on Matt’s behalf at least, and then Aaron would benefit that way. It was the best he could hope for at this point. He was well aware that he wasn’t worth the effort for Andrew to try to get them out of this fucked up shit.

“What are they doing?”

Aaron’s head snapped up from his lap as he looked at the little window. He couldn’t see anything but a sliver of the black sky outside. He looked to Matt instead, and found him already looking back. Matt shrugged. Aaron mouthed Andrew’s name and the word fight and Matt’s expression grew serious and somber. They both looked at the gun, then at each other, and nodded slightly.

The man with the gun pointed at one of the uninjured men. “Take care of them.” That man stood and opened a side door by the wall that separated the cab and slipped outside. He didn’t quite latch the door and it swung back open.

Aaron was able to watch. He saw the dull flash of what he knew was a knife. Then the man was kneeling on the ground beside Andrew, clutching his stomach and moaning. Three more men jumped out, running. Aaron was a little amazed at how little sound there was.

“Renee!” Matt said in an excited little whisper. They watched as she and Neil appeared from off to the side where they couldn’t see beyond their limited view and attacked as well. The three men were suddenly on the ground, bleeding, and Aaron blinked. How had that happened so fast?

Andrew looked directly at Aaron. “Are you okay?”

Aaron nodded slowly. He jerked his head to the side, hoping Andrew understood he meant there were still two men inside the van, and mouthed the word gun. Said man was too busy bickering in hushed whispers with the man driving and the other man left in the van to have really seen anything happen.

But then he looked out and saw what had become of his men. He gave an angry little shout that wasn’t all that loud. He leaned a little out of the doorway, but still had the gun on Aaron. “You little shits. Give me Wesninski and you can have the other two.”

“Go to hell,” Andrew said flatly. Aaron felt himself shake just a little and Matt press against him.

He looked up at Matt for a moment, then closed his eyes. Matt pressed his forehead to the top of Aaron’s head, but it did little to make him feel better. Matt curled his shoulders like he was trying to hug him, but Aaron pushed back. There was blood smeared on Matt’s shirt from the cuts on his face, but, Aaron figured, it would be okay.

“You’re more important to them than I am,” Aaron whispered to Matt, “so make this count.” Before Matt could answer, Aaron took advantage of no one actually looking at him and slid forward over the floor until he was even with the benches. He shoved himself up, using his hands behind him to help steady himself on the seat as he stood. Then, he jumped.

A lot happened all at once. The man beside the man with the gun tried to stop Aaron from tackling the man with the gun, but only got in the way. Aaron wound up knocking them both out of the van as the gun’s rapport nearly deafened him. He shouted as they all fell in a heap on the asphalt and he hit his head.

Getting shot didn’t hurt all that bad - until it did. He curled over on himself as he whispered out curses. He was never loud - couldn’t be, not after...everything - so no one really knew he was there for a while. At least, he didn’t think so. There was a lot of noise, though, and movement all around him. He couldn’t see any of it because he couldn’t make himself open his eyes. He kept struggling against the handcuffs, trying to get his hands free.

He needed to put pressure on his side. He wanted to bite his knuckles like he always had when he was hurt. He wanted to cover his head. He wanted to push himself up and get on his feet and get away, _away_ -

“Aaron!” someone was shouting. And then hands were on him and he was trying so hard to just get away from them. He didn’t want to hurt anymore. He wanted it to stop, to just -

“Stop,” he whispered. For perhaps the first time in his life, it actually did stop. No one was touching him, no one was saying anything. He still couldn’t open his eyes, but he didn’t feel people moving around anymore.

“Aaron.” That was Andrew, he knew, because of how distant and hollow and cold the voice sounded, even if it was supposed to sound like _him_. “You’re bleeding. We need to stop it. Will you let me do that?”

He didn’t know why, but he shook his head. He curled tighter around himself and had to bite at his cheek again to keep from making a sound.

“Neil, can you do anything about the handcuffs?” Andrew was asking. Neil said something, but he was too far away for Aaron to hear. “Neil can get the handcuffs off of you, if you’ll let him.”

That, Aaron could agree to. He felt fingertips barely touch his wrists and he had to fight hard not to flinch. It took a short time for the first one to fall away. As soon as it did, he moved, clutching both hands to his side where hot blood was pumping out of his side.

“Take this,” someone - Renee? - said, and he felt cloth brush against his hand. He grabbed it and balled it up and shoved it even harder into his side, knowing he had to do it even if it made him want to scream. He brought one hand up to bite down hard on his knuckles.

He could hear them talking, but not what they were saying. He didn’t know if they were going to let him bleed out on the asphalt or if someone was going to call for an ambulance or if they were going to take him to the hospital. It didn’t matter, he supposed. He was always such an inconvenience, after all.

But then he could hear Matt, and feel him very close. “Aaron, we need to get you to the hospital. Andrew wants to drive you there. Can I pick you up to get you in the car?” Aaron nodded, because he trusted Matt, even if he didn’t really know why - even still. He had to suppose it was because Matt kept his secrets and didn’t question him. What did Aaron do to deserve Matt, anyway?

Matt was careful as he eased his arms around Aaron, scooping him up and holding him close to his chest. Aaron still hurt, probably because of the fucking gunshot wound in his right side and the likely concussion, but he didn’t make a sound. He just kept biting his knuckle. He didn’t know how long it took to get him into the car, he just realized once he was settled that he was curled in Matt’s lap and Matt wasn’t letting him go. That was okay, really. Aaron couldn’t find it in himself to mind too much.

“Stop biting your hand,” Matt said softly, and he laced his fingers with Aaron’s instead. That was fine. It was familiar, safe. So every time they took a turn a little too sharp or hit a small bump or braked too quick, Aaron squeezed Matt’s hand instead. It didn’t help as much as biting his own hand did - he still had to bite down on his cheek - but it was something. “We’re almost there,” Matt whispered, and Aaron curled closer to him rather than away.

The car stopped and doors opened and people were yelling. Aaron was moved again, and Matt was gone. He got lost somewhere after letting go of Matt’s hand, like that was the only thing still keeping him conscious.

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

Matt watched them push Aaron through the double doors that led away from the waiting room and he sagged a little. He was kind of cold, standing in the air conditioned lobby in clothes saturated with blood, but he didn’t quite have it in him to care. Neil reached up and squeezed his shoulder, which was about the closest thing he ever did to a hug on his own initiative.

“He’ll be okay,” Neil said softly, then turned his piercing gaze on Matt. “Are you?”

“I’m not injured,” Matt hedged. The words ‘ _ I’m fine’ _ had basically been banned after Neil’s freshman year, so he was careful not to say them. He caught Andrew staring at him from behind Neil and Matt took a little step back.

“When did that start?” Andrew asked, voice as flat as ever. 

Matt forced a look of confusion, though he knew perfectly well what Andrew was insinuating. “When did what start?”

Andrew narrowed his eyes. “Whatever that was between you and my brother.”

Matt blinked, more surprised at the fact that Andrew had actually called Aaron his brother. It helped his act though. “There’s nothing.” And that, that felt like a big fat distasteful lie, but he’d promised Aaron he wouldn’t say anything. 

“Liar,” Andrew sneered. He stepped closer to Matt, but Neil stepped neatly between them again. 

“Andrew, it’s not important right now.” Neil looked over at Matt again, then around at the waiting room where pretty much everyone was staring at them. “Aaron will be in surgery for a while. Can I take Matt back to the dorms so he can shower and change?” 

Andrew was silent for a moment, but he eventually consented with a nod and dug the keys from his sweats’ pocket. “Answer if Renee calls you. She’ll need someone to pick her up.” Neil nodded. Matt remembered helping her throw the bodies into the back of the van as fast as they could and watching as she drove away. He didn’t want to know what she was doing. 

He looked at Andrew as Neil took the keys from him. “Andrew…” He faltered for a moment and had to look away. He forced himself to take a breath and looked back at him. “If you hear anything before I get back, let me know.” He didn’t move an inch until Andrew nodded. He nodded back and then followed Neil out to the car. 

It would be a bitch to get all of the blood out of the seats in the back, but at that moment, Matt really didn’t care. He fiddled with his seatbelt and his phone. He looked over at Neil, who was all tension, and sighed. “I didn’t know Renee was here.”

“She flew in very late last night,” Neil answered in a tight voice. “Andrew and I picked her up from the airport. She’s staying at Abby’s.” Matt nodded. He thought about the route he and Aaron ran - it wasn’t far from Abby’s house, which explained how quickly she’d gotten there. “I’m sorry, Matt.”

Matt shook his head. “Don’t be. None of this is your fault.”

Nei’s grip tightened on the steering wheel and it creaked a little from the force. “Yes, it is. If I’d… If I’d never stayed, if no one knew where to find me - you or Aaron wouldn’t have been hurt.”

“Neil.” Matt waited until Neil glanced over at him. “This is not your fault.” Neil opened his mouth to argue. “Stop.” Neil snapped his mouth shut so hard and fast Matt heard his teeth click. “Please, Neil, don’t argue with me right now. It’s really, really not your fault. I just want to shower and change and get back to the hospital as fast as I can, okay?”

“Okay.” Neil’s voice was strained and tight, but he’d said it. Matt nodded and went back to looking at the scenery - what little of it he could see in the slow-rising sun. “I should call coach.”

“Uh,” Matt said, “no.” He picked up his phone. “I’ll do it. Coach is less likely to murder me if I explain.” He dialed Wymack’s number and was surprised when he answered on the second ring.

“Hello, Boyd. I was wondering when you were going to call.” Wymack didn’t sound happy at all.

Matt laughed nervously. “Yeah, about that…”

“Andrew already told me what happened. I’m picking Abby up and we’re heading to the hospital. Andrew said I could grill you for questions when I saw you back there, but I’m not sure I’m willing to wait.”

Matt sighed. “Coach, I’m kinda covered in Aaron’s blood right now and we’re pulling into the parking lot at the Tower.” He waited a beat to see if Wymack would say something, but he didn’t. “I’ll talk to you when I get back to the hospital.” He hung up the phone before Wymack could argue. He rubbed his thumb over the cracks in the screen. 

Neil found a parking spot near the doors and turned the car off. They sat like that for a long moment. “Go on,” Neil said softly. “You’re starting to stink.”

Matt gave him a hollow laugh and did climb out of the tiny car. He was very, very glad he didn’t run into any of the other athletes on his way to his room. It was still a little bit too early for everyone to head to the gym or practice as required. Nicky, though, Nicky was awake when he opened the door to the dorm, and he screamed a little when he saw the state Matt was in.

“What the fuck happened?” Nicky demanded, rushing over to him. 

Matt held out both hands. He felt very, very tired. “It’s… a long story, and complicated. Short version is that Aaron and I were jumped and thrown into the back of a van while we were running this morning. Aaron called Andrew to sort of warn him about them going after Neil too. When Andrew caught up with the van, the guys in the van got out and tried to fight him. Renee was there too. They...Well, I think they killed the guys. Or some of them. I don’t know. I wasn’t really checking. But then Aaron jumped at the guy with the gun and got shot -”

“Aaron got  _ shot _ ?” Nicky shouted. “That’s -”

“Yeah, this is Aaron’s blood,” Matt sighed. “He’s at the hospital now. Andrew’s there. I’m going to shower and change and then we’ll go too.”

Nicky was pale. He looked like he was going to vomit for a moment, but it passed. Then he nodded and stepped out of Matt’s way. “Hurry up, then. I’ll get Aaron a bag so he has his own clothes and stuff to wear. I hate hospital clothes.” Matt nodded and ran his hand through his hair as he moved to the bathroom to do what he’d wanted to do for the last twenty minutes.

When he was done with his shower and dressed, Nicky was waiting by the door with Aaron’s orange duffle over his shoulder. Matt didn't bother with trying to fix his hair or anything, but he did take the cup of coffee Nicky offered, found his cell phone charger, and they left. 

The drive was a little tense at first. Then Nicky started asking questions and Matt… Well, Matt had to pull into a gas station for a moment. He was crying, he realized. His hands were shaking and he was suddenly wrapped in Nicky’s arms as Nicky let him babble about how fucking terrified he was for Aaron. 

When he'd calmed down enough to stop crying, he couldn't remember half of what he'd said. Nicky gave him a watery smile and wiped away his own tears. “I'm going to grab us and Andrew some coffee and junk for breakfast, okay? Just take a minute.” Matt nodded and figured Nicky needed the time to calm down as well. He dug his wallet out of his pocket and handed to to Nicky and was glad when Nicky didn't protest. 

It didn't take Nicky long to get everything, and soon they were at the hospital. Wymack met them at the doors and led them to a smaller room to the side, saying he'd explained that they had a group coming to wait for news about Aaron. The nurses had told them to wait here. 

Once the door was shut, Wymack said, “Andrew told me more of what happened. How are you holding up?” Matt just shrugged. He didn't really know. “Right.” Wymack sighed and ran a hand down his face. “The other foxes will probably be here soon. We haven't heard anything about Aaron yet. Might as well get comfortable.”

Matt sat in one of the chairs and drank his coffee and forced himself to eat the protein bar Nicky gave him. He didn't taste much of it. The others were talking around him, but he kept staring at his phone and the cracks on the screen. Aaron had done that, just by squeezing it hard when he'd been punched. His throat closed up and he felt his eyes burning.

“Matt?” Nicky sat beside him with a hand on his arm. He noticed the phone. “What happened to your phone?”

It took him a few deep breaths and hard swallows to get his voice to work. “Aaron dug it out of my pocket while we were in the back of the van to call Andrew. One of those guys punched him a couple of times. He didn't make a sound, but he was squeezing my phone so hard the screen broke.” He rubbed his thumb over the cracks again. “He was biting his knuckles too, when he was putting pressure on his side, so he didn't make any noise.”

Nicky made a soft, choked sound. “Oh my god.” Matt shook his head. “Matt…”

“That's because of Tilda,” Andrew said coolly. “When she beat him, he never gave her the satisfaction of hearing him make any sound.” 

Matt stiffened. Yeah, he'd known that. Aaron never said, but he'd guessed. It wasn't really that hard to figure out. Aaron was always quiet unless he was being an asshole. He couldn't say anything about that though. He had a promise to keep. 

Soon after that, several of the other Foxes arrived. Kevin came with Neil and Renee, who'd both showered and changed as well. Matt didn't ask what they'd done. Some of the younger ones were there too, to his surprise. Those had come with plenty of greasy fast food and a lot of coffee, and Nicky cajoled Matt into eating a little more. 

It was ten in the morning before a nurse knocked at the door. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to face her. She gave them a small smile. “Aaron Minyard is out of surgery now. He's stable, but still out from the anesthesia. Family only at this time.”

“We are all his family,” Nicky said. What surprised Matt was when Andrew looked over them all with a steady eye and nodded once. The nurse was looking at him in particular, since they were obviously related. 

The nurse sighed. “Biological family,” she said. 

Andrew sneered at her. “Blood doesn't mean shit.”

The nurse looked ready to throw her hands up and tell them all to leave. Wymack and Abby stepped up to her and then pulled her outside to speak with her. They were out there for several minutes. When Wymack came back, he said, “Two at the time. Andrew and Nicky first.” 

The team gave a little cheer. Even Neil smiled. Matt slumped back down in the seat, but Nicky was pulling him up. “Come on. You can go in after me. Andrew probably won't leave, and there's nothing I can do for him while he’s asleep.” 

Andrew didn't miss that little interaction, but he said nothing about it. The nurse gave them the room number, stressed the two-at-a-time rule, and let them go. They took an elevator up to the third floor and followed twisting halls until they reached room 318. Matt hung back and rested against the wall while Nicky and Andrew went inside. He closed his eyes and drifted for a while, letting time escape him. 

“Matt?” Nicky was in front of him. Matt yawned. “Go on in. But… I think Andrew wants to talk to you. So… yeah.” Matt nodded and gave Nicky a heavy pat on his shoulder. He closed the door behind himself.

Andrew was by the window, but Matt was looking at Aaron. He only noticed Andrew vaguely. Aaron looked paler than normal. He had an IV in his arm with a blood bag and some other medicines on it. His hospital gown was rucked up to show the line of stitches where the hole in his side had been sewn up. Matt felt his throat close up again. He wanted to reach out and touch Aaron, but caught himself at the last second and lowered his hand back to his side. 

“I do not like repeating myself,” Andrew said, drawing Matt’s attention away from Aaron’s pale face. “What’s going on between you and my brother?”

Matt shook his head. Andrew darted over to him and shoved him into the wall with a muted thud. He could feel the knife pressed to his ribs. He knew if he breathed too deeply that the knife would slip right between his ribs. “Andrew -”

“Answer the question, Boyd.”

“I can't,” Matt whispered. He looked over at Aaron again and then closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he looked down at Andrew. “His secrets aren't mine to tell.” 

That seemed to take Andrew by surprise. Matt had months of studying one Minyard to sort of figure out the expressions of the other. There was a slight widening of his eyes and a short, slight intake of breath. The knife was gone, but Andrew moved his empty hand to Matt’s throat and let it rest there threateningly. It was a mockery and a sham of what Matt had asked Aaron to do to him just a week ago. There was muted violence behind this action and a surety of harm, where Aaron had been cautious and careful, tender and hesitant. 

“Are they worth your life?” Andrew asked. 

Matt thought about all of the nights they'd shared before, of waking up on the couch with Aaron in his arms. He thought of their first kiss at Eden’s, when they'd both been drunk and hurting. He thought of the nights since, and how he'd grown to care so much for Aaron. He remembered the ways they'd pulled each other back from their metaphorical cliffs and held on tightly, never letting go for an instant. He thought of Aaron’s hand in his. He thought of Aaron’s blood soaking into the pavement and then his clothes. 

“Yes,” Matt whispered. Because they were. He'd rather let Andrew kill him here and now than expose Aaron’s closely guarded secrets. 

He understood the reasons, remembering a whispered conversation in total darkness about how he'd been bullied and beaten and had his arm broken when he'd been outed at school, how his mother had hurt him twice as much when she found out and ripped him out of that school to drop him in another one. He'd picked up exy just after that as a way to stay away from her and work off some of his aggression. His outward homophobia was learned and a coping mechanism, for fear of those same things happening again. He'd never, ever give Aaron a reason to fear that because of him. 

Andrew let go, backed up, and retreated to the window. Matt looked at Aaron for a long time. They stood in silence. Matt let himself stand on the other side of Aaron’s bed and touch his hand for one brief second, and then he left. He had to give the others their turn. 

He didn't leave the hospital. He gave Nicky the keys to his truck and let him go get them lunch, and then dinner. Aaron still hadn't woken. When the nurses tried to kick them all out, Matt pulled her out of the room and quietly bribed her. She took the money, tight-lipped, but let them stay. Nicky wound up in the room as well. 

Andrew had the only chair, but there was a couch, so Nicky and Matt piled up on it. Nicky had brought their laptops so they could catch up on homework. Matt wasn't paying much attention to his. He half-assed some of a paper before giving up entirely and distracted himself and Nicky with stupid videos on YouTube. 

Around midnight, Matt woke up. He'd napped off and on during the day, but wasn't able to really sleep. Andrew and Nicky were asleep though. He stood and went to stand by Aaron. He slipped his hand into Aarons and gave it a gentle squeeze. The doctor had told them it wasn't unusual for someone to still be asleep, even after this long. Aaron’s body had been through a lot of shock and trauma and needed to heal, and sleep was the best way for that to happen. Matt was more than ready to see Aaron’s eyes again though, to hear his voice, to see his small, private little smiles.

Matt blinked. He thought he was just imagining things, but there it was, the almost hidden curl of Aaron’s lips at the corners and the shadow of a dimple on his left cheek. Matt squeezed his hand again, and Aaron squeezed it back. 

“Matt…” His voice was hoarse and low, little more than a whisper.

“I'm here,” Matt said softly. “Andrew and Nicky are too.” 

Aaron opened his eyes a little and looked up at Matt. “W’happened?”

Matt knelt by the bed and was glad he was tall enough to do so, even if it made his knees ache. He ran one hand over Aaron’s hair, always gentle and never tugging. “You - you got shot.”

“You?” Aaron asked, his eyebrows pinching. 

“No, I'm not hurt,” he said. “Just...freaked out. Worried about you.” He gave Aaron a small smile. He looked over at where Nicky and Andrew were curled up in their respective places. They were still asleep. He lifted Aaron’s hand and pressed a kiss to his bandaged knuckles. His fingers danced around the butterfly stitch on Aaron’s cheek, not quite touching it. 

“‘Be all right,” Aaron said, in his way that meant he would have shrugged and rolled his eyes if he wasn't dosed to the gills on pain killers. His eyes closed for a moment, and when he tried to open them again, it looked like he was struggling. “Andrew’s here?” Matt nodded. “Why?”

How did he answer that? Matt just stared at him for a moment, hoping it was some kind of joke, but Aaron looked genuinely confused. He sighed and shrugged a little. “Because…”

“You're my brother.”

Matt snatched his hands away and backed up, rising from the floor. Aaron looked over at Andrew. Matt just watched in silent horror. 

“You don't care about me,” Aaron said, sounding a little less high than a moment ago. “‘Broke our deal, ‘member?”

“Fuck the deal,” Andrew said, and Matt could hear the anger in his voice. “That fucking deal isn't what made me care about you.”

Aaron shook his head. “‘Don't understand.”

“You're fucking dense,” Andrew muttered, “just like Josten.”

Aaron curled his lip. “Don't compare me to your fuckboy.”

Andrew raised an eyebrow and looked over at Matt. “Hypocrite.”

Aaron turned his head very slowly. His face went from utter sadness to rage to blank calm. Matt shook his head. “I swear to god, Aaron, I haven't said a word.”

“He hasn't,” Andrew said quickly. Aaron looked back at his twin. “Call it an educated guess. I'm observant, remember?”

“Fuck you.” Aaron looked away from Andrew and over to Matt. “Leave.” Matt felt his chest constrict.

“Aaron…” Matt whispered. 

“Now.” 

Matt closed his mouth and nodded. He walked over to where his bag was, stuffed his laptop into it, and left. He almost wasn't surprised when, while he was trying to compose himself in the parking lot, he saw Andrew and Nicky leaving as well. Nicky broke away from Andrew and came over to Matt’s truck instead. 

“What happened?” Nicky asked, climbing into the passenger's seat. 

“Aaron woke up. I was talking to him. Then Andrew woke up. Aaron asked why Andrew was there, why he cared.” Matt took a breath. “Andrew said because he was his brother. They said something about their deal and then Andrew said something about Neil and… Aaron said for Andrew not to compare him to his ‘fuckboy’.” Matt used finger quotes and all. Nicky sighed heavily and shook his head. Matt agreed with the sentiment. 

Matt had to take another deep breath. Nicky more or less knew about what was going on between him and Aaron. He'd been there since the beginning and he'd seen it grow. Matt had asked Aaron about Nicky knowing once and had only said that Nicky knew how to keep secrets, for all the blabbermouth he could be when he wanted to. So Matt continued. 

“When Andrew woke up, I was kneeling by Aaron’s bed. I was holding his hand…” Nicky was silent, staring at him with eyebrows pinched. “Andrew saw. So when Aaron said that about Neil… Andrew looked at me, then called Aaron a hypocrite. Aaron thought I'd told him. Andrew said I didn't but… He asked me to leave.” 

“Oh, Matt,” Nicky breathed, soft and quiet. He reached over the center console and hugged Matt. Matt didn't really return it. He couldn't. “I left Aaron’s phone. Give him some time, then text him. You… you know how he is…” Nicky sighed. “I'm not saying it's okay or it's right but…”

“I know,” Matt said. “I understand. And I don't mind, really. I wouldn't have…kept up with this if it bothered me that much. I just don't want to lose him.” His voice broke a little over “lose” and Nicky pressed his hand to Matt’s arm and squeezed. Matt slumped forward and rested his forehead on the steering wheel. He didn’t want to leave, dammit. 

“You need some rest,” Nicky said softly. “Let me drive us back to the Tower. We’ll come back tomorrow morning and see if Aaron’s changed his mind any, okay?” Matt nodded, not knowing what else to do, and climbed out of his truck. He and Nicky switched places and Nicky drove them back to the dorm. 


	3. Chapter 3

Aaron read the texts from Matt, from Nicky, from everyone, but he didn’t let anyone come see him. He told the nurses he didn’t want visitors and had them all turned away. He couldn’t stay in the hospital for long and keep running from his problems, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to try for as long as he could.

Andrew knew. Andrew knew about him and Matt and he didn’t know what to do with that information. He felt like he was falling or something. The pain meds weren’t helping. The doctors were keeping him high out of his mind and he knew it was going to be a bitch to get off of them. He wasn’t looking forward to it, but that was a fight for another day. Right now, his side flared with pain every time he so much as twitched. Running from his problems was going to be a hell of a lot harder while he was basically bedridden back at the dorm. In his and Matt’s and Nicky’s dorm.

He looked down at his phone as it buzzed with a new text message. It was from Nicky. Aaron sighed and opened it. _Matt’s torn the fuck up over you thinking you don’t want anything to do with him anymore. Get your ass in gear Aaron Minyard and call your fucking boyfriend._ It never failed to amaze Aaron how much Nicky’s grammar improved when he was pissed off.

He read over the message again and sent back, _Hes not my boyfriend_. Then he called Matt.

“Aaron?” Matt asked, cautiously and softly, like he was afraid his voice would scare him away.

“Stop fucking crying,” Aaron snapped. The pain meds were wearing off and he was ill from the throbbing in his side and withdrawal. “You’re not my goddamned boyfriend. Tell Nicky to leave me the fuck alone about it.”

The other line was so quiet that Aaron had to look at his phone to make sure the call was still connected. He waited, impatiently. Finally, Matt said, “I never asked Nicky to say anything to you.”

“You don’t have to ask Nicky to do anything, he just does this shit,” Aaron said. “I can’t deal with Andrew knowing. You know that.”

Matt sighed into the phone, making Aaron grimace. “I know, but he hasn’t said anything to anyone about it. Before you woke up...he asked me what was going on between us. I told him nothing the first time. He asked again with a fucking knife to my ribs and I told him your secrets weren’t mine to tell.” Aaron went cold and still at that. “He put his hand to my throat and asked me if your secrets were worth my life.” Matt paused for a moment, then breathed, “I said yes,” so quietly, Aaron almost missed it.

“You’re a fucking idiot,” Aaron muttered.

Matt laughed, a strangled sound that sounded too close to hysteria for Aaron’s comfort. “I know. I’d watched him fucking kill people just a few hours before.” He laughed again and Aaron could hear the tears there, even if Matt probably wasn’t even crying yet. He’d always been able to tell when Matt was about to break down. “I can’t keep doing this.”

“Keep doing what.” It wasn’t really a question, the way Aaron said it, but he thought it probably should have been. His lips felt kind of numb. He realized too late he was already biting down on his cheek again. His hand was all wrapped up in gauze, and he’d accidentally tasted that one too many times already.

“Staying away from you when I just want to be at your side,” Matt whispered. “You got fucking shot, Aaron, and I just…” Matt’s voice wavered. “I want to be there. I don’t want to be at the fucking court practicing and listening to Kevin bitch.”

Aaron laughed. He couldn’t help it. “I won’t play for the rest of the semester.”

“No,” Matt agreed. “Not with a hole in your side.”

“Another fucking scar,” Aaron whispered.

“Let me come see you, Aaron,” Matt whispered back.

“Fine.” And Aaron hung up. When the nurse came back, he told her to allow Matt in the room. She gave him a smile and told him that they could discharge him that evening if he was ready to go home. He found himself nodding without even knowing if he was ready to face down his problems or not. He didn’t think he was.

When Matt came in, he’d obviously just come out of practice. His hair was wet and plastered to his forehead and he was wearing the sweats and hoodie he usually wore back to the dorm after practice. Aaron couldn’t stop the smile that formed, even by biting down on the inside of his cheek. Matt went right to his side and crouched by the bed, but he hesitated before reaching out to touch him. Aaron rolled his eyes and took Matt’s hand in his own, even though it was still wrapped in gauze.

“You are _not_ my boyfriend,” Aaron said, a scowl settling on his lips. Matt just smiled and nodded. “Fucking idiot. Quit smiling.”

“No,” Matt said with a sort of helpless shrug. “I don’t care if you aren’t my boyfriend or whatever. As long as I still get to keep this.” He kissed the tips of Aaron’s fingers and ran his hand over Aaron’s hair with his other hand.

“Andrew knows,” Aaron reminded him sourly.

“Talk about it in front of Betsy,” Matt said. He ran his thumb over one of Aaron’s bruised cheekbones. “If you want.”

He didn’t want to, but he didn’t really think he had a choice anymore. He looked away from Matt in answer, and caught the flash of a smile Matt hid behind Aaron’s hand. Eventually, Matt got up off the floor and moved to the chair, settling it close to Aaron’s bed and kicking his feet up on the end of it. He sat holding Aaron’s hand until the nurse came in with the discharge papers and instructions on how to clean the stitches - though he already knew. Matt and Nicky had apparently already been to the drug store to get what they needed and it was waiting for him back at the dorm. The nurse seemed pleased by this as well. She told him no strenuous activity until the wound was healed, which would take about a month, and included sex. Matt just grinned and said nothing, while Aaron tried very, very hard not to blush.

They refused to let Aaron leave without being taken in a wheelchair to the doors, which he huffed about, but Matt used the time to pull his truck up to the front, and even helped Aaron climb into the blue monstrosity. No one knew he was going back, so when he walked out of the elevator in the Tower beside Matt, everyone made a big deal about it. He couldn’t understand why. Half of the team barely spoke to him. Yet here they were, hugging him and welcoming him back, and asking if he needed anything. It was overwhelming.

Matt herded them away with gentle words, saying Aaron was on bedrest, doctor’s orders. Those in the hall promised movie night in their dorm in a few days as a celebration. Nicky outright laughed at him when he finally closed the door behind himself.

“What’s so fucking funny?” he snapped.

Nicky shook his head. “You look blown away by the fact that people actually care about you, is all.”

Aaron shrugged, a little uncomfortable with admitting that he _was_ blown away by it. He made his way to the couch and sat down gently. Matt threw a blanket at him before bringing him some Thai curry - he must have told Nicky he was coming back, at least, because the food was still hot - before sitting down with some food of his own and turning on a movie. Nicky settled in one of the chairs nearby.

Everything was fine, and Aaron felt at peace - until there was a knock on the door. Nicky jumped up with a pinch in his eyebrows, which told Aaron that he hadn’t invited anyone over. When he opened the door, Andrew was there. Aaron went cold again. Under the blanket, Matt pressed his hand to Aaron’s calf, which was easy to do, since Aaron’s feet were in Matt’s lap. He drew his feet down slowly and put them on the floor.

“I’d like a word with my brother,” Andrew said, no inflection to his voice at all, but with the clear intention that he’d like to speak alone.

“No.” Aaron looked back at the television, for all intents and purposes, ignoring his twin in the doorway. He stole the bottle of water Matt had in his hand and drained half of it. His curry was hot. When Andrew didn’t leave after several moments, he looked back over, affecting Andrew’s typical bored expression and tone. “You’re still here?”

“Nicky, leave.” Andrew stepped into the room.

Aaron scowled. “You can’t kick him out. This is his room, not yours. Fuck you.”

Andrew gave an exaggerated look at Matt. “Doubt you need me for that.”

Aaron saw red. He was on his feet before he could remember his stitches. He almost doubled over from the pain, but he just pressed his hand into his side and bit down on the inside of his cheek until the worst of it was over. “Get the fuck out, Andrew. I don’t want to fucking talk to you.”

“Then listen,” Andrew said, his expression tightening and his voice going a little deeper than usual. “You broke our deal when it was the Barbie rather than your current giraffe. I could care less who you decide to fuck.” Aaron opened his mouth to retort, but Andrew narrowed his eyes and Aaron closed his mouth. “You seem to believe that just because we have no deal, I don’t care about you at all. I came here to correct this misguided impression of yours.” Aaron tried to say something again, but Andrew cut him off. “Shut your mouth. I am speaking.”

Aaron went very still. If Andrew said something else, he didn’t hear it. He was biting his knuckles again - the unbandaged hand, this time - and standing perfectly still. It was coming, he knew it. He just had to wait. She’d hit him, he knew she would. She always said that before she hit him. _“Shut your mouth! I’m speaking to you!”_ He just had to wait. She’d yank his hair back and -

“Aaron.” Someone was taking his hand away from his mouth, slowly, lacing his fingers with a hand that was familiar, safe. He blinked, and Matt was in front of him. He drew in a slow, ragged breath. “Aaron, it’s okay. Come on, you need to sit down.” Matt guided him back to the couch and held on to him as he sat, not letting him fall back like he wanted to. As soon as he was settled, Matt grabbed his shirt and pulled it up.

The stitches were bleeding. They weren’t broken, he didn’t think, but definitely bleeding. Matt cursed softly and stood to go get some gauze. When he came back, Matt pressed the gauze to the line of stitches and kept a steady, gentle pressure to them. Aaron was shaking a little. Nicky came over to his other side, slow enough that Aaron saw him from the corner of his eye, and draped a blanket around his shoulders.

“What the fuck.” It wasn’t a question and wasn’t meant to be. Andrew was still standing by the closed door.

Nicky squeezed Aaron’s shoulder. “You have your words you don’t like, Aaron has his.” He lifted Matt’s hand away to check the bleeding, then pressed it back down. Nicky was curled protectively around his side. “His reactions are just a bit different.”

Aaron could see the warning look Matt sent Nicky over him, but Nicky just lowered his eyes and shook his head. He wasn’t planning on saying anything more than that. Matt had the hand that wasn’t holding the gauze on Aaron’s other shoulder. The touch was gentle and grounding, reminding Aaron that his mother was dead, she couldn’t hurt him anymore.

“I think,” Matt said slowly, “if you two are going to have this discussion, then it needs to be with Betsy.” He looked over at Andrew. “That’s tomorrow. Think it can wait that long?” Andrew nodded stiffly. “I’m going to ask you to leave now.” To everyone’s surprise, Andrew did leave.

The whole room seemed to relax the moment the door closed behind him. Matt buried his head in the place between Aaron’s neck and shoulder. Nicky dropped his chin to the top of Aaron’s head. Aaron just sat between them, staring at the door in shock.

Matt kissed Aaron’s cheek to bring him out of it, got Nicky to move, and then had him lay down. The bleeding stopped quickly, thankfully, so Matt cleaned the stitches again and then bandaged them up just in case. Aaron didn’t feel much like sitting up again, so Matt curled up behind him on the couch and held him close.

“I need a shower,” Aaron mumbled before they could get too comfortable. He wanted one before he fell asleep. “Let me go.” Matt did so, but helped him stand. Aaron took the time to cover the fresh gauze with plastic wrap held on with some duct tape, then shut and locked the bathroom door.

His face was a mess. There was a deep, large bruise under his left eye and a butterfly stitch in the middle of the mess. He grimaced at it, which hurt a little, and then turned his attention to the gauze on his hand and wrists while the shower water warmed up. There were various impressions of his own front teeth covering his knuckles. He sighed a little as he waded up the gauze and threw it in the small trashcan. He didn’t want to think about how easy it would be for those to get infected. The marks around his wrists from the handcuffs weren’t deep and probably wouldn’t scar, but he didn’t like the look of them.

He wasn’t in the shower long. When he finished, he brushed his teeth and thought about shaving, but took one look at the bruise that stretched over half of one side of his face and his mangled hand and decided it could wait, even if his face itched. He hadn’t brought clothes with him to the bathroom, but he wasn’t that worried about it. Wrapped in a towel, he passed through the living area to the bedroom without paying much attention to anything. He was stuck in his head.

Why did he always have to react like that? He looked at the fresh red marks on his hand and considered punching a wall instead. It wouldn’t help though, so he just got dressed as slowly as he could to avoid pulling the stitches. He hissed as he pulled away the duct tape and then wadded up the mess. He tugged on a long-sleeved shirt and left the room, heading to the kitchen still in his daze. He threw away the mess of tape and plastic before he realized that someone was in the dorm who wasn’t supposed to be.

“Renee.” Aaron nodded at her.

She gave him her small smile and nodded back. “I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”

He shrugged. He wouldn’t say that, but he wasn’t going to argue semantics. “Everything okay?”

Renee tipped her head to the side as if considering this question. “I’m not certain. Andrew is acting strange, after coming here, and I thought I might ask you what happened.”

Aaron grimaced. “None of your business,” he snapped.

Nicky squawked. “Aaron! Don’t be so rude!” He smiled brightly at Renee. “Just some family troubles we’re trying to work out.”

Renee shook her head. “I’m afraid I should have been more specific. Andrew is self-destructive at this moment, and to prevent him from harming anyone - including himself - I’d like to figure out what I can do to help. I’ve already called Bee.” She took a deep breath and looked at Aaron with the dark sort of look Aaron had seen before but no one else ever seemed to want to acknowledge existed.

“He said something he shouldn’t have,” Aaron said, voice low and carrying a tone of warning.

Matt was up then, and standing between them. Renee looked up at him with the same dark look, which surprised Aaron. “You know how Andrew has the words he doesn’t like to hear?” Matt asked. “Well, there’s a phrase Aaron doesn’t like, and Andrew said it. He didn’t know, but I guess...he never asked, either. It…”

“I remember my mother,” Aaron snapped, half-stepping forward and clenching his fists. “The way she used to fucking beat me. It’s all I can think of when I hear that, and I shut the fuck down. Andrew said it, and it happened in front of him, and he _didn’t fucking get it._ ”

Renee’s dark look vanished in favor of one that bordered pity. “Oh, Aaron,” she whispered, “I think he really does get it.” She turned and went to the door. Before she went through it, she said, “Thank you for telling me. Betsy will be here soon, so things should be under control.”

Nicky made a worried sound and Aaron flicked his fingers at the door, telling him to go. Nicky threw him a look before jumping up to run after Renee. Aaron breathed out and deflated a little, swaying. Matt caught him in a hug and just held onto him there in the kitchen.

“I’m sorry, Aaron,” Matt whispered.

“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” Aaron mumbled into Matt’s chest. He turned his head so that his unbruised cheek was resting against Matt’s chest. He wrapped his arms around Matt’s waist - well, hips, really. “Can we just go to bed? I’m tired.”

Matt hummed, but they didn’t move. Matt was waiting for Aaron to move, but Aaron couldn’t. He kept thinking about what Renee had said, about how Andrew was being self-destructive. She’d called Bee though, so… He dropped his arms and stepped back from Matt before looking up at him.

“We’re going?” Matt asked, reading his mind.

“I feel like that really is my fault,” Aaron mumbled. He dug the heels of his hands into his eyes. “Fuck. Andrew didn’t fucking _know_. Why’s he have to make everything about him?”

“I don’t think that’s what this is,” Matt said, touching Aaron’s shoulder gently. “He’s...He think’s he’s supposed to protect you, and this hurt you.”

“Not really. Happens. A lot.” Aaron turned away from Matt and went to get his slippers. He’d committed murder for his brother, but he wasn’t going to walk down the hall with cold feet just to get to him. Not when he was being an overdramatic little shit. “I hate him sometimes.”

“Nah,” Matt said with a little chuckle in his voice. “Not really.” Aaron didn’t argue the point, but he thought he probably did.

Matt came too, even though Aaron privately thought it might be a bad idea. Then again, Aaron wanted Matt there, so fuck Andrew on that front. He didn’t have to knock on the door. It was open. Nicky was standing by Josten, who was holding a bloody towel to his hand. Aaron sighed and cleared his throat to announce his presence.

Nicky pointed at the bedroom door. “They’re in there. Just Andrew and Bee.” Renee was over by the desks, a familiar set of armbands in her hands.

Aaron nodded at Josten’s hand. “What happened?”

“I took Andrew’s knives away,” he answered.

“Idiot,” Aaron snorted. Josten just shrugged. “I thought all you had to do was _ask_.”

Josten narrowed his eyes. “Not this time. Not when he’s this angry and retreated so far into his mind that I can’t reach him. Bee isn’t even having any luck so far. Are you just going to stand there taking up space or are you going to go in there and try to fix the problem _you_ caused?”

Aaron switched to German. “Fuck you, Josten. I didn’t cause this. Andrew did. He did all of this to his own fucking self. It’s not my goddamned fault he’s an overdramatic shit.”

“Enough,” Nicky snapped. “Both of you. Aaron, go at least tell Andrew you’re okay. It might help, it might not. I don’t know.” He frowned and left Josten’s side, walked into the kitchen and found another small towel. “I actually think he broke the window again, so he might be bleeding. Will you give this to him?”

Aaron rolled his eyes, but nodded and took the towel. He glanced at Matt, then went to the bedroom. He knocked and didn’t go in until Bee called for him. It was dark in the room, only the orange glow from the streetlamps out in the parking lot shining through the window. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but he saw Andrew smoking by the - indeed broken - window. Bee was shifting from one foot to the other across the room.

“Andrew.” Aaron got his attention, then kept on in German. “You’re bleeding. Can I help?”

It took a painfully long time, during which Andrew was watching the blood on his arm run free, like it was interesting or something. Aaron was starting to grow worried as well, but if Andrew passed out, they could always take care of him then. Implied consent and all that. He glanced at Bee for a moment, then turned his full attention back on Andrew. He waited another moment. “I need an answer, Andrew. Will you let me touch you to clean up the blood?”

Andrew looked over at him again, as if he was, yet again, surprised to see him. “Yes.” Aaron sighed, and wouldn’t admit if asked that there was some relief to it, before crossing the room. He knelt in front of Andrew and wrapped the towel around his forearm, applying firm, steady pressure. “Why are you here?”

Aaron rolled his eyes. “I’m fine,” he said, mocking Josten. “Maybe you’ll listen if I say it like Josten. I’m _fine_. You didn’t know, so quit beating yourself up and being so dramatic.”

Andrew reached out like he was going to grab Aaron’s arm, then stopped himself. “I’m supposed to protect you.” His voice was dead flat, and not the normal level of emotionless. This sound caused a niggle of anxiety to flutter through Aaron’s gut.

“Not anymore,” Aaron reminded him. He pulled back the towel to check the bleeding. It had slowed, but wasn’t stopped, so he folded the towel over and applied more pressure. “This is going to need stitches. And I broke our deal, remember?”

“Fuck the deal,” Andrew shouted. Aaron jerked back. He’d never heard so much emotion come from his brother - not directed at him, at least. “This isn’t about the fucking deal. I’m supposed to protect you. I’ve been protecting you for far longer than that fucking deal anyway, why stop when you break it?”

Aaron gaped at him. “What do you mean?”

“Boys…” Betsy said from behind them. “English, if you don’t mind. I’d like to mediate.”

Andrew switched immediately. “Back when you _insisted_ on wanting to meet me, before I went to juvie.” His entire face contorted into some sort of awful grimace, and Aaron almost lost his grip on Andrew’s arm. “Drake found out,” Andrew spat. “He wanted to meet you. Wanted a _matched set_.”

And that, that right there, Aaron had never known. He lost his breath. What was he supposed to say to that?

“Andrew,” Bee said softly, “I think that’s enough for tonight. Let me call Abby so she can stitch up your arm, okay?”

“No,” Andrew said, his voice cold and final. Betsy stopped in her tracks where she’d been inching closer. Andrew never looked away from Aaron. “At the very least, if I cannot prevent someone else from harming you, I shouldn’t harm you myself.”

Aaron sucked in a breath. It took him too long to find his voice, but when he did, he said, “I thought you didn’t believe in regret.”

Andrew blinked at him. “That’s not what this is.”

“That’s what it looks like to me,” Aaron challenged. He didn’t know how to help his brother like Betsy did, but he was at least going to get him out of this rut. He’d always been good at pissing people off, after all. “It looks like you’re trying to punish yourself for making one mistake - for doing something you didn’t even know was wrong. Ignorance is a pretty damn good excuse in this case, Andrew. _You_ didn’t hurt me.” He took a breath and looked into the eyes that mirrored his own.

In the sessions they’d had with Betsy, they’d been working on the issue with their mother. Aaron hadn’t been ready to say anything to Andrew yet. He wanted to, he just didn’t know how. At this moment, he didn’t think he had much choice but to get it out of his mouth.

“I know why you killed Mom.” Aaron’s lips and tongue felt numb again, and he wondered why this always seemed to happen when he had important things to say. “She...she’s the one who fucked me up, not you. So stop blaming yourself, for fuck’s sake.” He took a breath and said, as angrily as he could, “I fucking forgive you, all right?”

He and Andrew just stared at each other for a long, long time. He didn’t know how long. By the time he checked the bleeding on Andrew’s arm, it had stopped. He left the towel tied around it, but pulled his hand away. When he looked back up at Andrew, there was something a little more typical back in his expression, and Aaron felt like he could breathe a little better. Yeah, sometimes he might really fucking hate Andrew, but he was still his twin.

They were brothers, and for all they both agreed that blood was shit, maybe - just maybe - it meant something between them. They weren’t going to be best friends. They probably still wouldn’t talk to each other. Aaron knew he’d still avoid Andrew like the plague after this was over, but… There was a tentative middle ground now, and if they had to, they could meet there for a truce.

He had a lot of reevaluating to do about his relationship with his twin, sure, but that could be done later, when he wasn’t bone tired and didn’t have a fucking hole in his side. He stood slowly, then held his hand out for Andrew to take. To everyone’s surprise - probably including even Andrew’s - he accepted it and let Aaron pull him to his feet.

Just because he was an antagonizing little shit, he said, “Are you done being a dramatic child now?” Andrew narrowed his eyes at him, and Aaron could see that he wanted to shove him away. He didn’t though, and that was another bridge built rather than burnt, he supposed.

“I’m going to call Abby,” Betsy said, sounding wrung out. Andrew nodded and Betsy left the room.

Aaron jerked his head over at the door. “Should I tell J-” He stopped himself and forced himself to say, “Neil to come in here?” Andrew shrugged. That meant yes, because if Andrew meant no, everyone would know. “Whatever.”

Aaron walked out after Betsy and looked at Neil, then jerked his head back at the door to tell him to get in there. Neil nodded, muttered a thanks, and vanished inside. Aaron looked over at Nicky next. “Abby’s coming over to handle the rest. I’m going the fuck to bed.”

“I, uh, I might just sleep over here tonight, ya know? Sleep on the couch or something.” Nicky gave him a nervous smile. “Kevin should be back soon anyway, and he’ll have booze, so I can at least get drunk after all this madness.”

Aaron nodded at that, wishing he could indulge and knowing he couldn’t. He barely spared Matt a glance before going back to their room, but he knew Matt had seen it. The moment they were in their own dorm again, Matt wrapped his arms around Aaron and just held him close.

They were all fucked up, but maybe one day they could be something a little closer to okay.


End file.
